Germany to surpass 3m passengers annually by 2021/22Germany to surpass 3m passengers annually by 2021/22

At Seatrade Europe, he said the German market could surpass the benchmark of three million passengers per year by 2021/22.

Identifying tremendous potential in the European market, Pojer said the growth experienced by the industry was a healthy and stable one. Pojer at the same time claimed the need to find excellent staff will turn into the industry's key challenge by the mid-2020s.

Cruise lines to step up destination investments

MSC Cruises' CEO, Gianni Onorato, likewise expressed great optimism with regard to the perspectives of Europe as a growing source market for ocean cruising, despite current challenges such as the uncertainty about a possible Brexit.

Referring to MSC Cruises' decision to deploy the converted MSC Magnifica out of Southampton as from 2021, Onorato said the Brexit perspective was definitely a challenge, but could also bring about new opportunities.

Onorato added that finding and developing new destinations will turn into one of the industry's main challenges in the 2020s. He more operators will invest to build up new destinations, adding the creation of tailored destinations could be one way to address overtourism concerns at existing ports.